Sheriff Other Authorities Not Enforcing Mask Mandate

Authorities in Yakima County say there's not enough officers to handle the day to day calls and start enforcing the mask mandate. Officials with the Yakima Police Department and Yakima County Sheriff's Office are hoping people will comply with the mask order and instead of tickets they'll push educating people on the need for the masks.

Yakima County Sheriff Bob Udell talked about masks and enforcement in a Facebook post on Thursday. "The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office will not be enforcing the recent face-covering order. From the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, my position has been engagement and education over enforcement. It is a position shared by law enforcement throughout the state. Deputies will not be stopping, detaining, citing, or arresting people who are in public without a face covering. My position on enforcement has not changed since the beginning of the controversial rules from our state government."

Two sheriff's in other parts of the state are speaking out as well. According to the Associated Press Lewis County Sheriff Robert Snaza is urging people not to be "a sheep." The Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer also disagrees with the state mask mandate saying the governor is “overstepping his bounds, violating people’s constitutional rights.”